Technical Painting Steel Rims with Rattle Cans

Thanks so much!

 

I'm still undecided on color but I'm gravitating towards burgundy/barcelona red, copper, or gold. Can't decide which as my 53' looks more blue in garage lighting but black in daylight.

Red/Burgundy might show less imperfections and has a little of the rebel edge but kind of cliche..
Hmmm....

 

all good suggestions. i like to deflate the tires and jamb anything in the bead using a paint stick. magazines pages, newspaper, rags and/or catalog pages [speedways are always around]. doesn't have to be pretty.....just protect the tire .

 

the ideas stated above about using metal flashing is good. (first remove tires/wheels and lay on tarp or?) best if 6" wide, or a little less. search hardware store. as stated, wrap firmly against edge of rim - not so tight it pops off, or too loose that paint escapes. even a very short section if 1/2' pvc with a thin cut through one side, or the the plastic edging used on cheap poster frames will hold things together - tape might get loose. rags, or old towels placed over tires from metal edging to outside edge of tires. do wheel clean up work before starting this. you will have to decide how much paint it will take to get coverage & shade that you want. so, did you get all of the mechanical problems with your ride sorted out?

 

Thanks! I took care of the mechanical issues except for a leaking M/C lid which I'm working on tonight.

 

That little Chevy is SO classy it deserves a nice set of full wheel covers! (like '55 Olds Fiestas, or even Cad sombreros...)
Glad you got all your mechanix fixed!
If you pursue the rattle can paint, do spring for the Duplicolor. The Tractor Supply paint is the "New last year" California special, no oil in it...Water based. (ugh! Water! I wouldn't use that in cheap Scotch! ...And I have a 210 foot deep well! Just don't use it for paint...)

Krylon is a lacquer base. Shiny when it goes on, but if you don't cover it with clear, it turns to 'Satin' in a matter of weeks, and not many of 'em!

Rustoleum is enamel, and has an 'enamel sheen'. Also for awhile...Better than the WalMart real cheap stuff, but Duplicolor is your best bet for 'buy it and use it'.

A customer of mine had a paint shop put good acrylic enamel in spray cans for him a few years back. $9 a can, (in 1983) it sure worked nice, but kinda expensive...he painted his little Datsun sedan with it, looked like a nice Earl Scheib job.

 

Thanks so much. I'm going to get Duplicolor.. Copper or Burgundy/Dark Red... I can't make up my mind.

I thought about the full wheel covers but I don't like the look of most of the ones I've seen and some of them are really expensive if they are polished and dent free. I want some rim color to contrast the body color and I want a little different feel/look so I got bullet lugs and bullet center caps and am thinking copper or deep burgundy for the rims.. maybe copper to get away from the traditional rebel red wheels that are a little cliche.

 

If you can't spray them with a spray can, and be happy with the results, you should get a different hobby.

Good luck.

 

Using Duplicolor products, for all 4 rims, you should only need 1 can of primer, I prefer the high build. You can get away with 1 can of paint most times, but you will wish you had a little more. Another can of color or clear will do the trick. Duplicolor has that nozzle that sprays with a pattern like a spray gun, some other paints do as well. You get a lot better coverage with it.
On your car I would put some full wheel covers on it. If you shop around a bit I bet you could get a nice set for $40. Only a little more than twice what the spray cans will cost. If you lived close I would prob give you a set to run untill you got something you really liked.

 

Wheels are something many use rattle cans on and it's traditional. One can should do at least two wheels. My son just painted all four flat bed trailer white wheels with Rustoleum silver using one large can.
Whatever color or brand you use just mist it on then build it up. Don't try to cover it in the first coat. I prefer Rustoleum but Duplicolor is a nice paint. That's a real nice looking car. The burgandy or red would look great.
I also agree, it neeeds old style full caps. They are not real expensive even new thru the catalogues.
If this was 1957 you could park along a bumpy road and find all kinds of them free.

 

Krylon here with no annual waxing.
The easiest way I've found to mask off rims for a rattle-can job is to use cheap 2" wide paper drywall tape.
I use blazedogs technique, tucking it in between the tire and rim bead with a piece of masking tape to hold the ends together. It's almost like it's made for the masking job as it comes on a roll and wants to conform to the rim.

 

Think outside the box YELLOW or PINK

 

...And when you're finished with the rattle cans, don't forget to bleed off the remaining pressure, hack the can open somehow and save the genuine glass marble that's inside!

 

I don't think all Krylon is lacquer anymore. They still have some lacquer but it's only available in black, white or clear.

 

Durn I read all about those marbles in a thread and still been throwing empty cans away. I've lost my marbles!

 

Thanks everyone. Is there any issue with using VHT engine paint? I went to a few auto parts stores and the red and dark burgundy is pretty common by Duplicolor. I can't find anything in the darker copper I like except VHT engine paint.

http://www.vhtpaint.com/products/enginemetallic/

Does anyone have advice on that? I'm thinking I could even paint the SBC v8 block to match some day with time.

I saw another HAMB'er used it on his from an old thread but not much was mentioned on how it held up.




I think that could look good with my car's color. I'm trying to do something a little different that isn't done as much. I don't really want the full hubcaps since its too much chrome and I want a color besides chrome to contrast with my car's color.

 

I found that Duplicolor has Burnt Copper Metal Specks. Would that be hard to apply on rims? I remember someone mentioning metal flakes are hard to paint on rims.

https://www.duplicolor.com/products/metalSpecks/

 

This is inspiring me to go with the burnt copper



P.S.. I wish I could attract this exact type of lady ;-)

 

Paint your wheels copper and girls like that will follow you anywhere.

 

Looks like she already has grease on her arm and foot!

 

Yep. Rattle canning your wheels is at the top of the list for cheap and easy ways to spruce up your ride.

 

Prep and follow the instructions.

 

Like everyone else who answered, rattle can paint is fine. The '35 wires on my T were painted over ten years ago with Rustoleum hammertone black and still look good.

 

Your car really looks good!!!! Either color, red or copper would work real well. I do like the copper also. If its easy to find, get a can and try it out on something to see how it sprays and covers and how the color looks next to your car. Claymart is right too,.....don't forget to retrieve the marbles! I never knew they had them till I read a thread here on the Hamb a few months back. I have a few in my collection now. Let us know how it works out. Tim

 

Almond spray paint with spider rings, thin trim rings, and bullet lug nuts. Held up good thus far.


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Hey and then you could get her to help bleed your brakes!

 

Thats it I'm buying that copper paint first thing tomorrow morning!

 

I shot these with VHT gloss black engine paint but wasn't happy with the shine when it dried. I then took a red Scotch Brite to them and shot all with some old 2 part Nason clear I had. Still can't believe how they came out.

 

Wow that looks nice. I'm not sure the VHT burnt copper is gloss but maybe I can use a special type of clear to get them to shine?

 

What a great looking Chevy.